


Inappropriate

by skywalkerlesbian



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Origins
Genre: Angst, F/M, Forbidden Love, Pre-Harrowing, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-30
Updated: 2014-12-30
Packaged: 2018-03-04 07:00:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2956700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skywalkerlesbian/pseuds/skywalkerlesbian
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They couldn't look at each other in the darkness, but, by their altered breathing, they knew what they would see in the other's eyes. It didn't feel right, hiding like that. But that was all there was.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Inappropriate

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fanfic in English and also my first for this fandom. This is unbeta'd, so feel free to tell me if you see something wrong in the text! Thanks for reading.

The air was especially cold that night, but templar Cullen didn't seem to mind. Resting his arms on a window, he was looking at the stars that seemed to be as far from him as the rest of Ferelden. He wondered what it would be like to live outside of the Circle Tower again. He had been living there for too many years to remember how he felt back when he was not a templar.

A sudden sound of steps alerted him, and he was already aiming for his sword and turning back when he saw who it was and relaxed. Well, he certainly didn't relax, seeing Pohreen there, but at least he wasn't getting prepared to kill anymore.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to disturb you", the mage greeted, raising her hands just in case the templar was still confused about her intentions.

"Oh, no, i-it's okay, really", he replied, feeling the heat already rising to his cheeks. "I mean, I'm sorry I reacted like that".

"Don't be, you're just... doing your job", she laughed.

He looked at her, mesmerized. Among the many apprentices he had met in the tower, this mage elf was the one who had made the biggest impression on Cullen. She was pretty, yes, very pretty indeed, but it's not like if she was the only beautiful girl in that tower. She was more than that, much more than just a pretty face. Mages usually didn't like templars. Many ignored their presence most of the time, and others even treated them with hostility. But Pohreen wasn't like that. She would always smile and say hello when she encountered him in the corridor. Sometimes, even, when she had seemed to be less busy than usual, she would approach the templar and chat for a bit with him. He wished they could talk more, but it wasn't appropriate for a mage and a templar. Little was appropriate to happen between mages and templars, aside from the obvious.

The mage approached Cullen, and he felt his blood freezing for a moment. She was actually aiming for the window, and when she reached it, she just stayed there and contemplated the stars, as he had been doing before.

In that moment, he realized she was not supposed to be there, on the fourth floor. He was going to ask her about this, but before he could say anything, she started speaking.

"I know I'm not supposed to be here, I hope you don't mind." She then turned her face to look at him. Her dark skin glistened in the moonlight, and he could swear her eyes shone differently under the stars. "Tomorrow it's my Harrowing... I'm not going to lie, I'm nervous. Very nervous. I thought looking at the moon would calm me down a bit."

He felt courageous for a second, knowing they were alone, so he moved back to where he was resting his arms before the mage had come, right next to her. Their hands were almost touching. Almost, but not quite. Still, Cullen could feel the heat of her skin near his, and he thought that was better than anything he could have hoped to happen. He didn't want to think about what would happen if her Harrowing went wrong, but still, if something bad occured to her, or to both of them, he would be happy that at least this he had felt this close to her for once.

"H-hey, if it helps, I will be there", he said, and seeing the pained look she gave him, he immediatly regretted it. "I-I mean... Please, don't worry. You're going to be okay. I know...  
I know you'll do good in your Harrowing".

"Do you?", she asked, looking at him in the eye.

He felt uncomfortable under her gaze, scared that she would see something he didn't want her to see, and looked at the sky again before clearing his throat to reply.

"Of c-course." His usual stuttering continued, but he was glad the light was not good enough for her to see his coloured face. "I've seen you practising your magic. You seem to be very... good at it."

She laughed in response. "Oh, well, thank you, Cullen!", she said, and he smiled by hearing his name come from her lips. "You are very good too, at, you know... _Templaring_?"

They both laughed for a moment, but suddenly a sound of steps interrupted their moment. In a few seconds they were hiding behind a column, distant from the light of the night sky that could give them away, but closer to each other. Luckily, the sound faded soon. The person, whoever they were, was walking through another corridor.

They couldn't look at each other in the darkness, but, by their altered breathing, they knew what they would see in each other's eyes. It didn't feel right, hiding like that. But that was all there was.

"I t-think it's better if we separate now", Cullen said, suddenly overwhelmed by the presence of the elf so close to him. "You have to rest for tomorrow, and so do I. Good night,  
Pohreen."

He started walking as fast as he could through the corridor, but his legs felt heavy. When he had just walked past the window, he heard her calling his name.

"Cullen!", she said, her tone a bit too loud. He turned to see her, and she was again bathed by the moonlight, but this time he wasn't sure if she was glistening because of it or because of something entirely different. He waited for her to say something, but for once, it seemed that the words struggled to come out of her mouth. "I... I wish things were different. If we weren't... If we weren't here, if our situation was better, I think... I think, maybe we could've..."

"Don't", Cullen interrupted, with a pained look in his face that he hoped she couldn't see. "P-please, don't. We shouldn't talk of... that. Of things that can't happen. It's better like this, for you and I".

She stayed silent for a minute, and he interpreted it as acceptance. They looked at each other, the mage in the light and the templar in the dark, standing still.

"Yes...", she started saying, her voice much quieter than before. "We should get some sleep. Good night, Cullen. I hope everything goes alright tomorrow."

He looked at her for the last time that night, and he cherished that image, for he knew that could be the last time they saw each other like this.

"Sure, everything will be fine, trust me. Good night."

And with that, they both made their way back to their rooms, but neither of them got any sleep at all.


End file.
